The Rebels

The Kent Family Chronicles, Book 2

By: John Jakes

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A patriot soldier in the ragtag Continental army, Philip Kent defies the rule of the British crown, fighting for the future of his adopted American homeland and the future of his wife and newborn son. And when Philip's heroism draws the attention of General George Washington, he is sent on an overwhelmingly risky mission vital to the success of the Revolution. But no sacrifice is too great for freedom.

©1975 John Jakes (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

The Rebels

Any additional comments?

These comments address The Kent Family Chronicles, the entire series of eight books, in audiobook format. All books are narrated by Marc Vietor. The entire series is approximately 125 hours of listening. Shortest book is 15.5 hours, longest over 26 hours. Vietor does a good job with narration, although the uniqueness of male voices is problematic. Most significant, you’ll have little difficulty determining who-says-what-to-who. Tempo and pacing fine, albeit the narration is a bit slow for my taste, bumped it to 1.25.

The entire series is a broad spectrum history of the United States from just pre-Revolutionary War through the 1890s and a chronicle of the Kent family through this time. Beginning with Phillip through the generations to the children of Gideon, a great-great-grandson. Members of the clan fight in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, are at the Alamo, the California Gold Rush, the Great Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, and much more. The author skillfully intersperses vignettes of imagined and factual history. For example, two of the fictional characters of the series are sheltered for a few days at the home of the Lincolns in rural Kentucky - a baby is part of the family, young Abraham. One of the fictional characters is counseled by Benjamin Franklin. Fiction, Phillip’s childhood friend is Marquis deLafayette, non-fiction: deLafayette’s role in United States and French military. The series is rife with this type of paradigm, but it is not difficult to determine what is true and what is fiction. All the instances that involve the Kents and John Jake’s other fictional characters are products of his imagination. Much of the rest is a fun methodology of conveying historical events.

The stories are very listenable. I found no need to re-wind or fast-forward; no segment boring or irrelevant. Theses books are not ‘love stories’ in the typical sense, albeit familial relationships, the crux of The Kent Family Chronicles, must include love stories, n'est-ce pas? In those areas where a sexual encounter is defined it is relevant to the plot and tastefully written. This does not occur often, but the clan does proliferate :-). A word to the prudish: there are a couple of rapes vividly described.

Very typical of the time written, the 1970s, writing is a bit verbose. Several of these books were adapted for television mini-series, popular at the time.

John Jakes is a terrific historical fiction author, recommended. Enjoy!

Two down... Big A series but great.

I like the way this book picks up right away where the last book left off but the preliminary info got a bit windy. Overall just a great series with a lot the the historical fiction person. Performance is good.

A little disappointing

What did you like best about The Rebels? What did you like least?

A riveting piece of historical literature.
A story about a useless, good for nothing drunk, which drove me nuts.
Anne's story shocked me and made me sad.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Talk more about the historical significance of the war and how it affected society as a whole instead of just a few people.

Have you listened to any of Marc Vietor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The same high performance as the last time I listened to him.

Do you think The Rebels needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No I think author struggled with the material as it is.

Any additional comments?

About 65% of the book focussed on the daily nightmare that was life of a common drunk and how he tortured himself and the people around him, I got really fed up with the whole thing- I hope the next book is better.

Freedom

Fighting the Revolution. Insight North and South. Love and Lust. So much is gained and lost. Remember we never get anything free. We must fight and stand up for what we believe.

the history

I loved the story of Ann and Philip, the birth of Abraham and Abraham as an adult. The history of America was very educational.

The Rebels

A great piece of historical fiction. I was a little annoyed by the mispronunciation of the name von Steuben (it is FON SHTOY-BEN rather than VON STU-BEN) hence four stars instead of five. The only flaw in an otherwise great performance.

amazing book!!

This book was awesome, It was well written in the story was very intriguing.. I enjoyed every part of this book and look forward to the next one in the series!! hopefully that new characters are Just as interesting as well as the story being told!

Phillipe Kent Book 2

If you could sum up The Rebels in three words, what would they be?

BOOK: (Amazon Summary) The rousing Kent family saga continues as Philip Kent fights for his new country alongside the greatest figures of the Revolutionary War

The engrossing follow-up to The Bastard finds Philip Kent standing as a Continental solider at the Battle of Bunker Hill. In a bold move, Kent has taken up arms for the future of his new family. Spirited and unwavering in his dedication to his adopted homeland, Kent fights in the most violent battles in America’s early history. As the Revolution rages, Kent’s story interweaves with the trials of a vivid cast of characters, both famous and unknown. The result is a tautly plotted epic novel that transports the reader into the thrilling adventure of a man’s fight for a new life.

NARRATION: Marc Vietor narrates the entire series which is a plus. I like the consistency of hearing the same voice throughout the story line. The voices are well done, female and male are easily distinguishable.

Loved it

I actually loved this book. War is hell, so I am not sure why people complain about this book being dark and depressing. It should be. I am excited to see what book three brings and it was set up perfectly for you to want more.

The constant taking of the Lords name in vain really bothers me

I can for the most part take the gratuitous violence but the frequent use
Of g**damn has cost the first and second book a star. That is really my only complaint that and the excessive cursing by mostly coarse men.otherwise very good historical fiction book. Good character development. The stories were heartbreaking and descriptive showing just what our forefathers sacrificed so that we today could have freedom. It really refreshed my memory of American history and some world history. Can’t wait to delve in book three. Part of book non fiction